Putin agrees to Trump’s request to broker nuclear talks with Iran – report

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly agrees to request by President Donald Trump to help facilitate talks with Tehran on Iran’s nuclear program and support for terror groups.

By World Israel News Staff

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to aid the Trump administration in bringing Tehran to the negotiating table on a number of key issues, including Iran’s nuclear aspirations, according to a Bloomberg report on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump reportedly requested that his Russian counterpart help facilitate talks between the U.S. and Iran, acting as an intermediary between the two countries.

Trump is said to have proposed the arrangement during a call with Putin last month, while senior American officials reportedly raised the idea with Russian leaders in Saudi Arabia days after Trump’s call to Putin.

In particular, Trump requested that Putin help the U.S. initiate a dialogue with Tehran regarding the Iran nuclear program, a possible new nuclear deal to replace the 2015 agreement, as well as Iran’s support for terrorist proxy groups across the Middle East including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Yemenite Houthis.

The White House has not yet responded to the report.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said Moscow supported talks between Iran and the U.S. and would be willing to help open a line of communication.

“Russia believes that the United States and Iran should resolve all problems through negotiations,” Peskov said, adding that Russia “is ready to do everything in its power to achieve this.”

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei neither confirmed nor denied that Russia had offered to broker talks with the U.S.

“Given the significance of these matters, it’s possible that many parties will show goodwill and readiness to help with various problems,”  Baghaei said. “From this perspective, it’s natural that countries will present an offer of help if it’s needed.”